Wines from Jerez

Those wines are the happy combination of unique climate and soil conditions, plus the know-how of the area's people. The climate is responsable for the apparition - during the wine's processing - of a coating of "flor" or the yeast on the top of the liquor in the cask. This results in the most important group of sherry from Jerez called "fino"; sherry from the Sanlúcar de Barrameda area near the sea is called "manzanilla", with a distinct personality.

All the grape juice from this area has the vocation to end up as "fino", though not all has the quality required to do so. Man is in charge of the selection, shunting a must that is not suitable off to the "flor" producing bacteria. During processing with the "flor" method, some wines turn a deeper colour for unknown reasons, and become unfit for maturing into "finos", but are kept for the production of the other group of great character and quality - the "amontillados".

"Finos", "manzanillas"m "olorosos", together with "palo cortado" and the sweet Pedro Ximénez and Moscatel wines make up the rich variety of the wine from the area arounf Jerez de la Frontera. The traveller has two options at thispoint: visit the towns that produce wine that comes under the Designation of Origin Jerez or examine the magical triangle where these wines are produced. The former includes Chiclana, Chipiona, Puerto Real, Rota and Trebujena, all in the province of Cadiz. True sherry can be produced only in the "bodegas" within a sun-bathed triangle embracing Jerez de la Frontera, Puerto de Santa María and Sanlúcar de Barrameda.